Alcohol and young people

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Facts and Myths

It often seems that everyone’s an expert when it comes to alcohol, especially when deciding how much is too much or not enough. When having a drink, it’s important that you can separate the myths from the facts to ensure you have a good time and are always safe and healthy.

Some myths:

People need to drink alcohol to have a good time.

There is a perception in society that when people drink alcohol it makes them more sociable and they will have a better time than if they don’t drink. This is not true. Drinking alcohol can make people feel less inhibited due to a slowing down of the central nervous system, however it may not necessarily make them more sociable. Rather, people are more likely to become aggressive and irrational after drinking too much.

My parents drink so therefore I should be able to drink

Alcohol is widely used in Australia and it is therefore likely that many parents will drink. This does not automatically mean that their children are also able to do so. While Victorian laws don’t prohibit people under the age of 18 from drinking, it is illegal for alcohol to be sold or supplied to a person under the age of 18 with the exclusion of certain situations.

It is important to note that younger people differ from adults in terms of physical size and stages of development, which will impact on how alcohol affects them. Also, due to a lack of exposure to alcohol among young people, they are less likely to have had an opportunity to build a tolerance to it.

Some facts:

Not everyone drinks alcohol

For a number of reasons, such as peer group pressure, there is a perception among young people that everyone drinks alcohol. While at times, it may appear to be the case, there are many people who choose not to drink. There is even evidence to suggest that alcohol consumption has decreased among the Australian adult population in recent times.

The reasons why people choose not to drink vary from person to person. It may be due to health problems or just because they don’t enjoy the taste of alcohol. Regardless of the reason, the decision is an individual one and people should not feel pressured by others to do things they don’t feel comfortable with.

There is also a common perception among young people that people drink alcohol to get drunk. Once again, this is not always the case. Most people consume alcohol without getting drunk and in many instances being drunk is not what people would view as having a good time or as socially acceptable behaviour.

Alcohol is fattening

Many people assume that because alcohol is a liquid rather than a food, it isn’t fattening. On the contrary, while alcohol itself does not contain fat it is packed with calories and when mixed with another drink, such as a soft drink then the calories can really add up. A standard drink is said to contain approximately 70 calories without a mixer and a glass of champagne contains 106 calories.

Alcohol affects everyone differently

People react differently to alcohol. This can be due to a number of reasons relating to the type of alcohol being consumed (amount, strength), the person drinking (sex, age, body weight, state of mind) and the environment where the drinking is taking place (time of day, being alone).

Alcohol affects males differently to females

Even if males and females are the same height and weight and consume the same amount of alcohol, females are likely to experience higher blood alcohol levels. This is due to alcohol being absorbed differently in females as a result of them having more fatty tissue and less water in their bodies than males.

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